Monday, October 17, 2016

नैवेद्य

Here is a very good explanation about Neivedyam to God. Will God come and eat our offerings?Many of us could not get proper explanation from our elders.An attempt is made here.

A Guru-Shishya conversation:

The sishya who doesn't believe in God, asked his Guru thus:

"Does God accept our 'neivedhyam'(offerings)? If God eats away the 'prasadham' then from where can we distribute it to others? Does God really consume the 'prasadham', Guruji?"

The Guru did not say anything. Instead, asked the student to prepare for classes.

That day, the Guru was teaching his class about the 'upanishads'. He taught them the 'mantra': "poornamadham, poornamidham, ......poornasya poornaadaaya...." and explained that: 'every thing came out from "Poorna or Totality." (of ishavasya upanishad).

Later, everyone was instructed to practice the mantra by-heart. So all the boys started praciting. After a while, the Guru came back and asked that very student who had raised his doubt about Neivedyam to recite the mantra without seeing the book, which he did.

Now the Guru gave a smile and asked this particular shishya who didn't believe in God: 'Did you really memorize everything as it is in the book? The shishya said: "yes Guruji, I've recited whatever is written as in the book.

The Guru asked: "If you have taken every word into your mind then how come the words are still there in the book? He then explained:

"The words in your mind are in the SOOKSHMA STHITI (unseen form). The words in the book are there in the STOOLASTHITI (seen).

God too is in the 'sooksma sthiti'. The offering made to Him is done in 'stoola sthiti'. Thus, God takes the food in 'sookshmam', in sookshma stithi. Hence the food doesn't become any less in quantity.

While GOD takes it in the "sookshma sthiti", we take it as 'prasadam' in 'sthoola sthiti'.

Hearing this the sishya felt guilty for his disbelief in God and surrendered himself to his GURU.